How Do You Cope?

spoirier

Tier 2

Lesson Plan

Coping Comparison Plan

Students will identify and compare healthy and unhealthy coping strategies, share personal examples, and apply a critique rubric to develop an action plan for stress management.

High school seniors face academic and social pressures that can impact well-being. This session builds self-awareness, peer support, and equips students with practical tools to replace unhelpful coping with healthier alternatives.

Audience

12th Grade Group Counseling

Time

55 minutes

Approach

Presentation, discussion, and hands-on activities

Materials

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Slides
Coping Strategy Swap Activity Guide
Peer Insights Dialogue Discussion Prompts
Coping Critique Criteria Rubric
Pens and Notepaper
Projector and Laptop

Prep

Preparation and Setup

15 minutes

Review the content and flow of the Healthy vs. Unhealthy Slides and familiarize yourself with the key distinctions.
Read through the Coping Strategy Swap Activity Guide to understand group roles and instructions.
Preview the Peer Insights Dialogue Discussion Prompts to prepare follow-up questions.
Study the Coping Critique Criteria Rubric to ensure clarity when guiding student evaluations.
Arrange chairs in a circle or semi-circle to encourage peer engagement.
Place pens and notepaper at each seat.

Step 1

Introduction & Icebreaker

10 minutes

Welcome students and introduce the session’s objective: understanding coping strategies.
Quick round-robin: each student names one positive thing they did to cope with stress this week.
Highlight that sharing is voluntary and that confidentiality is respected.

Step 2

Define Healthy vs. Unhealthy Coping

15 minutes

Present the Healthy vs. Unhealthy Slides.
Discuss examples: ask volunteers to classify strategies and explain their reasoning.
Clarify misconceptions and answer questions to solidify definitions.

Step 3

Coping Strategy Swap Activity

15 minutes

Divide students into pairs and hand out the Coping Strategy Swap Activity Guide.
Each student shares one coping strategy they use, then the pair brainstorms an alternative healthier approach if needed.
Rotate partners halfway through to diversify perspectives.

Step 4

Peer Insights Dialogue

10 minutes

Reconvene as a full group.
Use the Peer Insights Dialogue Discussion Prompts to guide:
- What surprised you about your partner’s strategy?
- How could you support each other’s healthier coping?
Encourage respectful listening and constructive feedback.

Step 5

Reflection & Critique

5 minutes

Distribute the Coping Critique Criteria Rubric.
Students individually rate their own top two coping strategies and write one concrete improvement step.
Invite a few volunteers to share their action step.
Close by summarizing key takeaways and reinforcing availability of support resources.

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